Searching the Literature

To ensure the quality and relevance of literature that you include in your literature review, remember:

The age of material is important - you should start with the most recent sources and work backwards
It is important to use a variety of resources - the literature may include books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, theses, statistics, empirical data, government publications and research reports
You may need to search for authors, as well as keywords and subjects
You will need to review and evaluate your search results, and modify your search strategy if necessary
It is critical to develop good referencing skills (see Managing your Results)
You can broaden your search by looking for literature in related disciplines, by using the reference lists of any relevant sources you have already identified, or by using citation databases

Where to search

When searching the literature, you can use the Library catalogue to identify and locate books, reports, conference proceedings, theses and other resources.

You can determine relevant databases to search for journal articles and conference papers using the By subject menu on our Databases page or the list of key databases in the relevant Subject Guide.

Some important databases for literature reviews include:

Your supervisor may suggest relevant resources and databases.

It is also recommended that you request a consultation with your Subject Librarian. The Subject Librarian can suggest refinements to your search strategy, identify relevant databases and resources, demonstrate database features and functionality, and demonstrate methods for obtaining more obscure resources.

Using a search diary

During your literature review you will carry out a number of searches and gather many references - it is easy to lose track of a particular reference, which databases you have searched, which keywords you used, or how you identified a source. It is helpful to keep a search diary, in whatever format you prefer, to record:

When you searched
Where you searched (name of database, or catalogue)
Search terms and combinations of terms that were successful
Search terms and combinations of terms that were not successful
Searches or leads you want to follow in the future

Developing a Search Strategy

Once you have formulated your review topic, you can devise your search strategy:

Keyword and phrase search
Use the main concepts and keywords of the review topic, you have identified, as the basis of your search strategy. When searching for phrases, place your search terms in inverted commas - for example, "public health".

When creating a search strategy, consider synonyms for your keywords and group them together.

In some disciplines, you may need to combine keywords and phrases with controlled vocabulary terms to comprehensively describe your review topic.

Search the main concepts first, then limit further as necessary. Be aware of differences in American and English spelling and terminology. Most databases use American spelling and terminology as preferred subject terms.

Use connectors (Boolean operators)
Boolean operators connect phrases or keywords to improve your search results:

Operator	Action	Example
OR	broadens your search showing results with at least one of your keywords	paediatric OR children
AND	narrows your search showing results which contain both keywords	stress AND workplace
NOT	narrows your search excluding certain words from your results	rabies NOT dog

Use truncation and wildcard symbols

A truncator is used to retrieve the different ways a keyword might appear in a database. The symbol commonly used is the asterisk *. For example, develop* will retrieve develop, development, developments, developmental, developmentally, etc.

A wildcard replaces a letter within your keyword. For example, behavio?r will retrieve behaviour and behavior. A wildcard can also be used where alternate spelling may contain an extra character, p?ediatric, will search paediatric or pediatric

Wildcard and truncation symbols vary from database to database. Check the database help section to identify the correct wildcard and truncation symbols.

Bring it all together
You can combine all the elements described above to create a search strategy:

Other database features
Many databases offer a variety of search features including limiting options, thesaurus buttons and field searching, which can enhance your search results. To find out what specific features a database offers, refer to its search help or tips.

Locating Literature

If a particular book, journal article or other resource is not held in the University Library, you can request it from another library using our free services:

BONUS+
ArticleReach
Document Delivery

Searching the Literature Checklist?

Have you requested a consultation with your Subject Librarian?
Have you discussed relevant resources with your supervisor?
Have you considered keeping a search diary?
Have you developed a potential search strategy before starting to search?
Have you fully described the keywords and concepts for your review topic and the relationship between these keywords and concepts?
Have you identified the most appropriate databases and other resources for your literature search?
Do you know how to locate any resources that are not held by the University Library?